


Closer

by Lliion



Series: Barstuck [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Collegestuck, F/M, Gen, Humanstuck, Implied self harm (past), barstuck, musicstuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-22
Updated: 2013-09-22
Packaged: 2017-12-27 08:14:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/976504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lliion/pseuds/Lliion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nepeta tries to go home to her family's pet shop. This however, involves crossing two parallel, extremely busy, main roads. But the only other option is a really long way around all the backstreets that would take forever and fuck it she's tired.</p><p>( Inspired by the song 'Closer' by The Tiny. Which is my headcannon Nepeta voice. )</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closer

**Author's Note:**

> First FanFiction on here and its homestuck  
> Because I'm not obsessed in the slightest  
> Edit  
> Fixed things, just little mistakes in the writing and the tags.  
> Open for critic I guess? If there are any other mistakes or little things that seem wrong let me know.  
> EDIT-EDIT  
> This is actually terrible? I give up trying to fix it

The sun sank down slowly, slipping behind the tall buildings of the city lazily, like it had all day. Brilliant orange light reflected painfully off the glass of the little bohemian bar behind her, slicing through the 'closed' sign stuck to them. Worn leather armchairs inside were empty, the mugs and glasses were stacked up neatly in the back and the lights were off. The bar was dull and lifeless, all the amazing, crazy people who worked or went there had gone home. Another sign on the door told her it had closed early due to lack of alcohol and, 'kindly fuck off' in red pen was scribbled out at the bottom in bubblegum blue which didn't hide it very well.  
Streetlights flickered on on both sides of the street, adding to the orange-yellow glow of sunset. Nepeta stood under one of them at the very edge of the curb looking at the toes of her pink pumps. Her favorites, because they had little cat paw prints across the toes in olive green. She loved cats in a possibly obsessive way, then again so did her family, they ran a pet shop across the road and 4 doors down from the bar. Her sister ran a dating site from her bedroom on the top floor, guaranteed to match you with the perfect person, though she begged her to let her put her name down Nepeta always said no. She loved matching her friends together but only because they were so obviously meant to be. Personally she wanted to find her special person on her own.  
Thinking deeply about these things she put her foot out into the road and started to cross. Forgetting to look. She got 3 quarters of the way across when a screaming of tires filled her ears, snapping her attention to the source. It was so close to her so unbelievably close. How had she not heard it? The huge truck sliding towards her like a bull. With strange clarity she could see the driver's face; going from angry to a look of horror, disbelief and desperation. Hands gripping the huge steering wheel, his knuckles white. She blinked and it was suddenly almost upon her even closer than before and wow it moved fast. Just close enough now that she could see sweat glistening on the driver's head. Her heart made a sudden lurch for safety out of her frozen body and her head screamed for her legs to move but they wouldn't and it was so close. 

Hands gripped her arms suddenly, she felt her feet lift off the ground and she was yanked out of the trucks path into a solid and warm wall. Any breath she had gasped in was sharply forced out of her, making a loud 'oof'. The solid things hands were gripping her arms tightly holding her back away from them so they could stare into her face, his fingers dug into her upper arms.  
"Are you a fucking idiot? Or blind? Jesus you almost died! Are you so incapable of walking across a road, looking? Those things in your head are for seeing so you can avoid being hit by oncoming traffic! I almost had a fucking heart palpitation! Stop staring at me."  
She couldn't. Her eyes were glued to the sign on his chest in line with, and a couple of inches away from, her chin. A perfect silver-grey 6-9. The sign for Cancer. It was so pretty, she thought disjointedly.  
"Shit- I'm sorry, your in shock. I shouldn't yell at you. Are you alright?" His voice had lost the harsh shouting edge and lowered slightly it sounded scratchy with a hint of hoarseness with over or under-use. She suspected the former. Only noticeable when he didn't sound pissed, his voice was shaking. So were his hands which he must of realized were digging into Nepeta's arms because he immediately released the vice of his fingers and let his arms fall stiffly by his sides.  
His hands, which she could now see, were stained with red ink, the same candy shade as the profanity written on the sign. They looked rough along the edges of his first finger, a trait of an artist, skin left rough due to friction with drawing utensils. Cross hatched scars marred the backs of his shockingly pale hands, raised and a pale pink colour. Internally, she winced, realizing it was impossible for so many scars to be an accident, the rest of them disappeared up the torn cuffs of his hoodie. She so badly wanted to touch them without fully knowing why, they looked soft and shiny like silk, little slices of silk across his hands.  
"Hey, are you okay?" He said even softer, a voice like velvet. Panic creeping in.  
Her eyes flickered up to look at him, cars raced past on either side of his head and she felt her eyes widen in surprise. His eyes were a deep burgandy around his pupil, extending to a brilliant scarlet around the outside of his iris. They were shockingly bright and wide with fear. The colour of them reminded her of fire and scolding irons glowing with heat.  
Nepeta's cheeks flamed and she realized she had been gaping at him idiotically for the past 5 minutes. Struggling to get her mouth to work she somehow managed to force out a babble along the lines of "Ohmygod."  
Visibly he relaxed, calmer now knowing she wasn't about to become mute due to shock, he winced and said "I said are you okay? You almost got smeared all over the main road like a gross cat-girl sandwich."  
He still looked scared despite the string of obscenities he managed to squish into one single gross sentence. Nepeta studied his soft round face, it was such an odd combination, he had no real jawline, just a soft roundness. However, sharp angular cheekbones, and indents in his cheeks showed where his face was meant to be slightly thinner under them. Shadows hung under his eyes and brows from a mix of the poor streetlight and lack of sleep. Shiny, poorly cut black hair framed his dark little face and and she wanted to smile at the little curl that stuck up on the back of his head. To reach up and fix it, smooth it down so it was back with the rest of his soft, shiny, ebony locks. Wow, that was a weird thought to have about a total stranger.  
Though, he did save her life.  
"You pulled me out of the road-saved me?" She garbled.  
His features screwed up for a second before he blinked looking confused, "Yeah, I did. I wasn't gunna watch a damn pretty girl and her cat hat get smushed right in front of me. I'd like to think under the layers of fucked-up that are 90% of my idiotic personality I have some form of chivalry." His brow furrowed deeply shadowing his eyes more. Nepeta frowned, her delicate eyebrows coming together, "You saved me! My knight in grey armour!" Giggles bubbled from her lips and she tried to stifle them self consciously, pressing pink nails to her lips. ( Pink to match her pumps obviously.) He actually cracked the smallest of smiles which looked strange and disjointed and perfect on his grumpy face, "Im glad, your okay. What's your name?"  
"Nepeta Leijon, I live just up there, that little pet shop." She said enthusiastically, gesturing vaguely in the direction of the poorly lit green shop, with paw prints scattered across the front window.  
"Oh, cool. I'm Karkat. Vantas." He said awkwardly, "So you were headed home before...?" Trailing off, he shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket and looked down at her. Nepeta was pretty small, but he was only just half a head taller than her. Karkat was a lot like her, 'little but STRONG' her best friend had described her. And Karkat was too, she could see it in his eyes, and feel it in the accidental bruises from his hands on her forearms.  
She nodded without saying anything else and then looked sheepishly down at her toes.  
"Fuck, guess ill have to walk you there then since I cant trust you to walk across a road like a proper competent human being." He grumbled. Blinking she snapped her head back up to stare at him. "Y-you don't have to do that! But, um, thank you for saving me..."  
"No. I said i'm walking you home and I am. I'd be an idiot if I dragged you out of a road just to let you wander off again." Karkat growled, pressing the 'wait' button and standing at the edge of the curb. Nepeta stepped forward to wait silently next to him, stealing the occasional glance up at him from under her hat. His features were softer now he wasn't directly under the yellow streetlight, lighting up the dark.  
They crossed the ridiculously busy road and walked down the street towards her home, in silence. Every time he so much as glanced at her her cheeks flamed and she'd turn her face away. Karkat assumed it was because she was embarrassed about the road thing, and immediately felt even guiltier for yelling at her.  
Outside the door to her house Nepeta jumped onto the step and twirled to face him, she slipped a pen out of her pocket and  
held out her hand for his. Giggling when he looked confused at her hand she said, "So I can give you my number? I'd like to... talk to you again some time. I don't know, buy you a drink or something? In return for saving me?" The confusion faded and he blinked going a little wide eyed, palloured cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "Oh, sure. But I just started work in the bar down the road, so i'll probably see you again some time?" He held up his palm for her despite this, carefully avoiding letting his skin touch hers.  
Not wanting to make him uncomfortable by taking his hand she managed to scribble her mobile number on his palm without touching him and slipped the pen back into the pocket of her jeans. Awkwardly she paused and stood looking at his shoes for a minute.  
He cleared his throat, " So, I'll see you. Uh, bye ....Nepeta."  
"Yes, see you soon! I hope!" She blushed and turned to her door looking back over her shoulder at him as he turned his back to her and began walking off. Little shoulders hunched over, compelled to say something more she blurted, "Bye Karkat!"  
Twisting her keys sharply she threw herself through the doorway, slamming the door behind her before he could answer.  
Pressing her back to the door, sighing and grinning at the ceiling she slid herself down, covering her face with her hands she squealed into them with the explosion of excitement that squished inside her stomach.


End file.
